We take our roofs for granted to a huge extent, with many only thinking about it when something goes wrong and they have to call a roofer to make repairs. Similarly, we don't think about the history of roofing, how people developed weatherproof, permanent roofs and how the desire for more interesting, impressive and complex buildings led to technological development in one of the most fundamental inventions in history.
Therefore, to solve this problem, we present.... (drum roll please)
The JJ Roofing Supplies History of Roofing - From the dawn of time!!!
As long as man has required the need for shelter, there has been a need for roofing of some kind. We know that early man dwelt in caves, but archaeological evidence shows that temporary shelters were also built in the open for the purpose of hunting and gathering, and when man turned to agriculture, permanent early settlements began with rudimentary shelters.
Ancient Roofing
The very first recorded evidence of a roof is the use of the skin of a woolly Mammoth in Siberia in 40,000 BC. Evidence of human architecture has been found dating back 25,000 - 30,000 years, with the use of local materials to construct tent-like structures. These early settlers used methods such as branches secured to the ground by piles of stones to create the structure, and reeds covered in mud to create a basic roof. Evidence has also been found of Mammoth bones and tusks lashed together to form a building with animal hides used as the covering.
Around 8000 BC, when man began to develop agriculture, permanent settlements were established, and basic tent-like structures gave way to round houses which formed the earliest towns. These houses were constructed from bricks made from mud and baked hard in the sun with rounded edges. The roofs were conical structures made with branches and mud. By 6500 BC, roofs in some areas were being constructed from brick or stone, and while the circular house continued to be the most popular form of architecture, it wasn't long until straight walls and windows became prevalent, with evidence of settlements with rectangular houses from the same period.
The first evidence of tiled roofs was in China around 3000 BC, and tiles were also used in Greece and Babylon between 3000 - 2000 BC. The Romans brought a version of the Greek tile to Britain in 100 BC, and thatched roofing was first used in this country by 735 AD, although it had been used in Oriental architecture much earlier.
Roofing Worldwide
Roofing was well advanced in early Asia, and there is evidence of thatched and tiled roofing systems long before the technology was used in Britain. The first buildings were constructed with wood, due to the abundance of the material and it's resistance to earthquakes and natural disasters. Evidence from the Jomon period in Japan, which lasted from 1300 BC to 300 BC, showed that early settlers lived in dwellings with earth floors over wooden foundations, with thatched roofs made from straw.
In each area local resources determined the development of architecture and roofing. In Egypt for example, mastabas were built for the burial of Pharaohs and nobles from around 3000 BC. These were rectangular flat-roofed buildings, made of mud bricks. These mud bricks gave way to stone soon after a resource that was plentiful in Egypt and it didn't take long for pyramids to be constructed entirely from large blocks of stone.
In Middle-Eastern architecture, the domed roof became prevalent from 691 AD, after the construction of The Dome of the Rock. The building is one of the earliest examples of Muslim architecture, and shaped the development of architecture in the region for centuries to come. The dome is a great wooden structure, and is equal in height to the rest of the building. Beautifully decorated and sitting atop a hill, it was a dramatic piece of architecture that was widely copied thereafter.
Modern Roofing
The last 200 years have seen the industrialisation of the roofing industry, and great strides have been made in materials and manufacturing processes. By the 19th Century most roofing in Europe was constructed either with clay tiles or natural slate, often determined by the local natural resources available. The development of railways led to the wider use of natural slate as it was possible to transport it at a lower cost to areas where it wasn't native.
During the first half of the 20th Century, production of clay tiles took a step forward in Europe, when tiles were designed with raised weatherbars which interlocked with each other from one tile to the next. This was a progression from the simple overlapping Ogee shape, and meant that even if tiles were twisted due to drying or firing faults, they could still prevent water penetration. This improved the performance of roofing, and enabled the design of lower-pitched roofs.
These developments occurred primarily on mainland Europe, and by the 1970's French technology for computerized kiln firing and automated handling was developed, and together with German machine pressing technology, allowed tiles to be made much more uniformly and efficiently.
Roofing in Britain
Thatched roofs first appeared in this country in 735 AD, and it was a further 300 years until we saw wood shingles used in roofing. By the 12th Century a big change was made, when King John decreed that by law, thatched and reed roofs in London should be replaced by clay tiles in an effort to prevent the spread of fires. After the Great Fire of London, thatched roofs were completely outlawed in the capital and clay tiles became the dominant roofing material.
Clay tiles were imported from other countries during the following Centuries, and were used alongside natural slate, which became dominant with the industrialization of the railways. When tiling technology developed in Europe in the first part of the 20th Century, tiles were imported from Europe and became widespread in Britain. By the 1950's the British clay pantile industry had all but disappeared due to an inability to match the quality of the tiles from abroad.
Concrete tiles became prominent during this time in Britain, and although they failed to become popular when first introduced in the 1920's, they quickly rose in demand during the huge rehousing programme after the Second World War. Where Europe was investing in automated production processes for clay tiles, in Britain that investment was in concrete tile production. By the 1960's concrete tiles were being manufactured in larger sizes and were more regular in shape and size than their clay counterparts, making them easier to fix to the roof.
Since processes were developed in Europe in the 1970's to manufacture more regular clay tiles and slates, there has been a steady increase in their use in this country, and the dominance of concrete tiles has been challenged with the introduction of cheaper and more varied slate and tiles from abroad.
Natural Resources in Roofing
Natural resources have always had a bearing on the type of roofing constructed in different areas, and in Britain it was no different. Slate was used in areas where it was plentiful, such as Wales and the North West, and hand-split slate was commonly used for roofs. This type of slate is very hard and splits naturally into flat shapes for tiles. It's therefore less labour-intensive to produce, and many areas have a strong historical association with certain types of slate. However, the material can be very heavy and need a strong structure to support it, and the lack of uniform shaping left potential for gaps and faults in the roof.
Clay tiles were first brought to Britain by the Romans in 100 BC, and underwent a resurgence of sorts in the 12th and 13th Centuries. Clay was only available in certain areas, such as by rivers where it was naturally found, and became the dominant material in those particular areas. Clay from around the Thames, for example, allowed the rebuilding of London with clay tiled roofs after the Great Fire of 1666.
Where access to these types of materials was limited, thatched roofing remained prominent, as it can be constructed from materials that grow anywhere. It is one of the most aesthetically pleasing types of roof, but has several drawbacks in that it is degradable, highly flammable, and difficult to maintain.
Types of roofing
With the advent of modern transport systems, cheaper materials and automated production processes, there are no limitations on the type of roofing that can be used on today's buildings. There has been a recent trend to return to traditional, natural types of roofing, often in-keeping with the local area, but they are not always the most practical solution.
There are new technologies in development that may change the future of roofing again over the next 50-100 years. Improvements in glass, polymer, and smog-absorbing tiles may change the shape of roofing, and eco-friendly materials will also become prevalent in the future. As Europe aims to become a carbon neutral society by 2050, sustainably-sourced materials will become more important, and energy-producing tiles could be another development in the years to come.
Reference URLs
https://www.roofrocket.com/roofing_blog/roofs/history-of-roofs/
http://www.mca-tile.com/history.htm (US-centric)
